TORMENTED Anthony Taylor claimed he was driven to armed robbery after finding his Thai bride had sold their son.

Taylor had moved to Asia, set up a business, got married and had a child.

But when his relationship hit the rocks, his wife reported him to the authorities for overstaying his visa and he was deported.

While awaiting deportation, Taylor found out his wife had sold off his business, land and their son.

And frantic to find his child, once back in the UK, Taylor hatched a plot to fund his flight back to Thailand by carrying out armed robberies on computer games shops.

Now the 38-year-old has been jailed for five years after targeting two Grainger Games stores and leaving staff terrified in raids which were broadcast on the BBC Crimewatch.

Astonishingly when he did try to hand himself in to police he was turned away and told to make an appointment despite being on their wanted list. Recorder David Hatton, at Newcastle Crown Court, told Taylor: “You were driven to commit these offences to raise some money to find your son in Thailand, who had been sold at the hands of your partner.

“You were in a state of some devastation and panic and were anxious to return there.

“However, these are extremely serious offences and you caused a lot of terror, fear and upset to those seeking to carry out an honest day’s work.”

Taylor, of no fixed abode, had gone into Grainger Games, in Whitley Bay, in February 2007 and left two members of staff, including a 15-year-old, terrified by threatening them with a knife.

He locked them in the store’s toilet and made off with around £700.

However, that was not enough to fund his trip back to Asia, so he went into Grainger Games, in Jarrow, two weeks later, armed with an imitation firearm.

This time a shop worker bravely tried to fight him off but failed.

Bizarrely when the store phone rang Taylor answered it and politely dealt with an inquiry.

Shortly afterwards, thinking the robber’s guard was down, the shop assistant repeatedly punched him in the face but soon gave up when Taylor threatened to shoot him. Soon after the second robbery he fled to Thailand, having stolen £1,300 in the raids and went looking for his son, to no avail.

Paul Caulfield, for Taylor, said: “This is a very unusual case.

“He married a Thai girl and they had a son but all was not well in that relationship and when he overstayed his visa she reported him to the authorities.

“He was taken to a detention centre and while there she took steps to sell his business and land and left him penniless.

“She also sold his son and that is why he was motivated to trace his son and bring him to the UK.

“It was an act of desperation that he committed these offences.”

While Taylor had been living in Thailand and then Spain after the 2007 robberies, his case was on Crimewatch and a friend alerted him to his wanted status. But having finally plucked up the courage to hand himself in, he was astonishingly turned away by police and told to make an appointment.

Mr Caulfield said: “He decided to come to the UK under his own steam and he walked into Gateshead police station and told them why he was there.

“He was told by the officer dealing with it was not at Gateshead and was asked to make an appointment to see him the next day in South Shields, which he did.”

The court heard Taylor had established a successful business in Spain which he ran for 16 years before selling up and moving to Thailand and setting up a business there.

However, he lost everything, including his son, at the hands of his wife.